Dr. Phillips Community Doesn't Want Magic Gym

A Magic Gym is Planned for Our Park - Who’s Idea Was That ?
By Robert Kelly

Somehow the County did not understand when your HOA board and the Southern Dr. Phillips Homeowners Coalition told Teresa Jacobs (our County Commissioner from 2000-2008) that we did not want the gift of a free Magic Gymnasium in our Dr. P. Phillips Community Park.

Commissioner Jacobs acknowledged our decision and said she had a needy West Orange County location instead. Other plans had been discussed by us from the beginning for Phase 2 of the park, such as boardwalks, trails, health circuits in keeping with its natural habitat and buffer with the surrounding neighborhoods. Since she vacated her seat, Scott Boyd, the new Commissioner, was reminded when he asked us the same question. But the Parks & Recreation Department has already been spent money to survey our park and intends to build this gym.

The Magic Gym will be over 24,000 square feet, with 100+ parking slots and two bus spots. This is similar in size to the Dr. Phillips YMCA. The building will contain a full court basketball and volleyball gym, a weight room, two activity rooms, a game room and locker rooms. The facility will be open later than the current park closing hours, and will host many functions such as competitive and recreation basketball leagues, volleyball, teen dances, health classes, teen center, after school camps, and summer camps and other activities for all west Orange County residents. When we asked why here, when we have the Dr. Phillips YMCA and the new JCC opening a mile south, we were told the Parks Department needed to pick a site that they owned. So, why this one? We are not in need of such a facility. Other parts of Orange County are more deserving.

Parks Department offered another strange justification in their interpretation of a flawed survey that convinced the Parks Department that we wanted that Magic gym. Do you remember the Dr. P. Phillips Community Park Phase 2 survey in late 2007? It never asked if we wanted that Magic Gym. Instead it asked about boardwalk, trails, restrooms, picnic pavilions, fitness course, multi-purpose center, recreation programs, meeting rooms, lockers. The 12 options offered in the survey never included a volleyball or basketball gym. The write-in answers are more telling. Out of 1,128 surveys, only 8 asked for basketball (2 said NO basketball) and 6 mentioned volleyball! With no gym mentioned on the survey or the write-in responses, how could they assume we wanted it? And they never told us we were getting what they thought we wanted. So the story and the survey is flawed.

Out of 1,128 surveys, only 8 asked for basketball

The Magic Gym is an unwelcome hazard to us in the form of continuous day long traffic load, surge traffic at late hours for the sports and teen functions, and the additional cars and pedestrians roaming around our streets and hanging around the path to Sand Lake Point and Sand Lake Cove. The users will be from all over Orange County, Osceola County and tourists. We believe this gym will not be an asset to our community but rather it will be a nuisance and risk.

But we have learned that Winter Garden has the land, public need, and the desire to host this center on a suitable site in a commercial area. We are attempting to steer the gym in that direction.

This HOA has spent hundreds of hours keeping tourist activities and commercial land use away from our homes. We DO NOT want to accept a night time sports and teen facility inside our quiet neighborhood. It is incompatible because the Dr. P. Phillips Park is a "Community Park" designed for the local Dr. Phillips residents, and NOT a Super Regional Park that a Magic Gym would make it. Our Neighborhood already hosts the school, park and soon another 500 new homes along the one two lane 25 mph boulevard.

Say NO THANK YOU to a Magic Gym. Keep the Dr. P. Phillips Community Park a community park as originally promised and DO NOT turn it into a Magic Gym park.

Robert Kelly

President, Buena Vista Woods Homeowners Association


Rick Geller's Comments:

The Orlando Magic is a great organization and will, no doubt, build a first-rate facility. I would like to see the Gym located where the community welcomes it, and where it can serve children who might not otherwise have regular access to a YMCA or a JCC. The Dr. Phillips Community Park site is contaminated with lead, which will reportedly require $100,000 in remediation expense by Orange County taxpayers.
A 24,000 square foot commercial building does not fit the context of a residential neighborhood with 2,500 square foot homes. Therefore, I question the site location, in direct view of homes in Sand Lake Cove and Diamond Cove, without any natural tree buffer.

The City of Winter Garden has long sought this facility. The Orange County Parks Division should suspend the request for construction bids, due in late March, and reconsider whether the Dr. Phillips Community Park location is, in fact, the most appropriate.

Preserving Gotha's Tree Canopy

ORLANDO, Jan. 15--During his first meeting as District 1's Planning and Zoning Board Commissioner, Rick Geller moved to preserve the tree canopy over a five acre parcel in Gotha slated for upscale homes on acre lots. "The tree canopy is an important part of Gotha's character," said Geller. On Geller's motion, seconded by Commissioner Roberts, the Planning and Zoning Board unanimously directed the preservation of "specimen trees" in the north and east property setbacks, which face other residential property owners, while "[o]ther trees on the property shall be preserved to the extent possible to maintain the existing tree canopy."

Geller succeeded Paul Wean as District 1's Planning and Zoning Board Commissioner as an appointee of Orange County Commissioner Scott Boyd.

After the hearing, Geller said, "Commissioner Boyd and I never again want to see another Sienna Gardens in Gotha, where the developer destroys all the magnificent oak trees."

Orange Commissioner Taps Campaign Foe for Growth Spot

From the OrlandoSentinel.com:

posted by David Damron on Dec 16, 2008 9:29:35 AM

Freshman Orange County Commissioner Scott Boyd is poised to tap his fall political opponent Rick Geller to sit as his representative on the influential planning and zoning commission today.

That growth panel reviews new development projects, and Geller would essentially serve as Boyd's early eyes on any controversial proposals.

Boyd and Geller made nice after the District 1 county commission primary race, where Geller was eliminated by a slim margin in a three-way contest. Geller went on to back Boyd in the general election in a runoff against Shannon Gravitte.

"Rick is very passionate," Boyd said. "He'll take the job very seriously."


Copyright The Orlando Sentinel 2008. All rights reserved.

Geller Calls for State Law Changes for Campaign Finance Reform

ORLANDO, Nov. 21--The Orlando Sentinel published the following op-ed written by Rick Geller, former District 1 Orange County Commission candidate. Click on the image to enlarge.

Geller Endorses Boyd

WINDERMERE, Oct. 21--Rick Geller released the following statement in support of candidate Scott Boyd, who defeated Geller in the August 26 primary for District 1 Orange County Commissioner:

Scott Boyd is the one candidate with longstanding community involvement and a real track-record working for prudent growth management. He helped to protect the Avalon community from intense, incompatible land uses. He helped to plan Orange County's first certified green residential community, restoring wetlands, preserving the tree canopy, and protecting against lake pollution. Scott's love of the land--and our community--will serve Southwest and West Orange County well. The vast majority of a County Commissioner's job deals with growth management issues. I urge you to cast your vote for the most qualified candidate--Scott Boyd.

Rick Geller
Co-founder, Southern Dr. Phillips Homeowners Coalition
Former District 1 candidate

Geller Calls on New Gated Communities Ordinance to Allow Debris Removal

ORLANDO -- Community advocate Rick Geller expressed concern that a draft Orange County gated communities ordinance does not preserve and codify the County's commitment to seek FEMA reimbursement in the event large scale debris removal on private roads becomes necessary and in the public interest.

"FEMA changed its rules last summer to now allow for the possibility of reimbursing local governments for hurricane debris removal in private and gated communities," Geller said. "FEMA, however, requires that a local government authorize itself to seek reimbursement."

Orange County's Public Works Dept.'s Sept. 2007 Fact Sheet stated the following policy, "In the instance that Orange County is subject to a large-scale disaster where it is in the public interest to remove large-scale debris on private property, prior to commencing the work, the County will submit a request for reimbursement and seek approval from the Federal coordinating officer, in accordance with 44 CFR 206.224."

"Orange County's gated communities ordinance should codify this commitment to protect both the County and homeowners," Geller said.

After the 2004 hurricanes, homeowners in gated and non-gated communities with private roads incurred tens of thousands of dollars in debris removal costs because Orange County refused to provide debris removal service absent FEMA reimbursement.

New JCC Campus Groundbreaking Set for Nov. 2

DR. PHILLIPS--The groundbreaking ceremony for a new JCC campus, located on South Apopka-Vineland Road, has been set for Sunday, November 2, at 12:30 p.m.

The Campus is named in honor of Jack and Lee Rosen, parents of hotelier Harris Rosen.

Community advocate Rick Geller served with Valerie Denner as fundraising co-chairs for the new Campus and, together, raised about $2.3 million on top of funds previously committed. The Campus will feature permanent classrooms for the acclaimed JCC preschool, a gymnasium, and a food pantry for people in short-term urgent need.

"I never gave up hope we'd eventually see a JCC in the Southwest," said Geller. "The demographics for this Campus are too compelling and, when something's crucial to the community, I can get very persistent."

"Our hats off to Harris Rosen for making the new Campus financially possible," Geller addded.

The JCC is a non-profit organization, affiliated with the United Way, open to the entire community without regard to religion, race, or any discriminatory factor.

Geller Thanks Numerous Volunteers

WINDERMERE -- Rick Geller released the following message thanking nearly 200 volunteers who assisted in his campaign for District 1 Orange County Commissioner.

Thank you from Rick Geller
September 1, 2008


Dear Friend,


Thank you for supporting my campaign for District 1 Orange County Commissioner. I so much appreciate the literally hundreds of emails, voice mails, and telephone calls I've received over the last week. I'm in the process of answering each and every one. You have expressed consolation, well wishes, and pledges of future support with great eloquence.

Tremendous Volunteers

Defeat forces introspection. We lost by only several hundred votes out of the more than 19,000 cast. The margin of loss was so small that any number of explanations have validity. Many of you complimented our campaign. However, insofar as any shortcomings or mistakes contributed to the outcome, the responsibility rests with me.

Despite the outcome, I am proud we ran a positive, honest, and substantive campaign. That approach helped to earn the The West Orange Times and Orlando Sentinel endorsements. I avoided unrealistic promises, given Orange County's severe budgetary constraints. I did not hesitate to focus on the most difficult issues, including the lack of deputy patrols in neighborhoods and ideas for helping to fix the traffic mess at Sand Lake and Turkey Lake Roads. I'm glad to have helped shape the race's agenda.

I am proud of our numerous volunteers, including the more than seventy-five people who walked neighborhoods with me this summer and the many dozens who covered polling stations last Tuesday and during the January 29 presidential primary. Over 200 people signed up to volunteer, the vast majority of whom assisted in some form over the last year. Thank you to all of you.

Congratulations to Scott and Shannon

I met with both Scott Boyd and Shannon Gravitte last week and congratulated them. I would not underestimate either's ability to ultimately win this race. Please base your decision who to support on who you believe will best serve our community and who has Southwest and West Orange County's best interests at heart. I will offer my assistance and experience to whomever wins.

Time for Family and Career

Many have expressed concern for me. Please know that I am just fine. My four children are happy to have Dad back. The day after my defeat, I spent 20 minutes on a couch holding my two-year-old, Caroline, while watching Clifford the Big Red Dog. Priceless. This simply was not my time, with such young children. I am focusing on Gabriela, our children, and on rebuilding my law practice.

I'd run and lose all over again to have you as my old and new friends. I hope you are having a safe and enjoyable Labor Day.

Very sincerely yours,




Rick Geller

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Political advertisement paid for and approved by Rick Geller, non-partisan, for District 1 Orange County Commissioner.

Orlando Sentinel Endorses Geller

ORLANDO - The Orlando Sentinel has endorsed Rick Geller for District 1 Orange County Commissioner.

The Sentinel's endorsement stated:

We think: Attorney is equipped to tackle ethics, growth issues

The candidates running to fill Teresa Jacobs' seat on the Orange County Commission are savvy enough to say that reducing crime's a priority, given the community's growing concerns about safety.

But while the county gives the Sheriff's Office money, it's the Sheriff's Office that decides how the money gets spent. It thus falls to voters in District 1, spanning Orange County's southwest, to select a candidate who is able to make sound, reasoned judgments in other areas where a county commissioner can make an even greater impact.

Ms. Jacobs frequently did that by pushing county government to spend taxpayers' money prudently and perform its tasks ethically. We believe attorney Rick Geller would do the same -- and champion smart-growth policies often ignored by most commissioners. His oratory and intelligence just might make it hard for them to ignore sound policy.

Mr. Geller's eager, for example, to get the county to deny water-gulping St. Augustine grass to new developments. And he wants to promote mass transit more aggressively.

Public-relations manager Shannon Gravitte, unfortunately, lacks the candor voters deserve from a commissioner succeeding the straight-talking Ms. Jacobs. Ms. Gravitte, for example, was specific about funding more deputies but vague about where she'd get the money.

Citrus-grower Scott Boyd wants the county to manage growth better. But we believe Mr. Geller's better equipped to bring about that change.

The Sentinel endorses Rick Geller for Orange County Commission, District 1.

The Orlando Sentinel is Central Florida's largest daily newspaper.

Orange County Internet News Service Endorses Geller

DR. PHILLIPS - The Southwest-based Orange County Internet News Service, OCINS.com, has endorsed District 1 Commission candidate Rick Geller.

In a statement published yesterday, OCINS.com said:

"We’re pleased to see that the [West Orange] Times has joined with OCINS in recommending the election of Rick Geller as District 1 Commissioner ... We said it at the beginning of this race and we’ll say it again … It’s our opinion that R. Geller has the education, the experience, and the focus to stand “head and shoulders” above his competition in this race … He “packs the credentials” … His record is long, is deep, and is proven in handling District 1 matters … He’s equipped and has the right focus … ‘Nuff said."

The statement is published at www.OCINS.com.